Estate Executor Steals $27K+ From Elder, Ephrata Police Say Estate Executor Steals $27K+ From Elder, Ephrata Police Say
Estate Executor Steals $27K+ From Elder, Ephrata Police Say An estate executor has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with a nearly $28,000 theft, the Ephrata Police Department announced on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Dervin L. Bender, 58, of Ephrata, is accused of stealing $27,760 from an estate for which he was an executor over two years, the police alleged. He has been charged with felonies for Theft by Unlawful Taking and Financial Exploitation of an Adult or Care-Dependent Person, according to the police. Bender's preliminary arraignment was held before Magisterial District Judge Landis on Tuesday, Oct. 15, according to the police. …
Motorcyclist Dad Caused His Fatal PA Crash, DA Says Motorcyclist Dad Caused His Fatal PA Crash, DA Says
Motorcyclist Dad Caused His Fatal PA Crash, DA Says New details have been released in four Lehigh Valley crashes, revealing that the three fatal crashes were caused by the drivers and were possibly preventable. This includes the death of a New Jersey native, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said on Monday, Oct. 14. Jorge Pickett, 34, originally of Camden, NJ, and most recently of Bethlehem, rode his motorcycle "through a steady red light for westbound traffic on Center Valley Parkway" fatally striking an SUV around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4 at West Saucon Valley Circle and Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township, the DA deta…
Sword-Wielding Drug Dealer Convicted Murder: Berks County DA Sword-Wielding Drug Dealer Convicted Murder: Berks County DA
Sword-Wielding Drug Dealer Convicted Murder: Berks County DA A convicted drug dealer is back behind bars again, this time for murdering a man with a sword, the Berks County District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, Oct. 10. William Smoot, 50, Exeter Township, was convicted of First-Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder for stabbing DelCollo multiple times with a sword on Thursday, Oct. 10, according to the Berks County District Attorney's Office. Smoot has been held in the Berks County Prison while awaiting sentencing, the district attorney's office said. A sentencing date was not available at the time of publication. Smoot's accompl…
PA 19-Year-Old Motorcyclist ID'd After Fatal Pickup Collision: Coroner PA 19-Year-Old Motorcyclist ID'd After Fatal Pickup Collision: Coroner
PA 19-Year-Old Motorcyclist ID'd After Fatal Pickup Collision: Coroner A 19-year-old motorcyclist has been identified as the victim of a fatal motorcycle crash, the Lancaster County Coroner announced on Tuesday, Oct. 15.  Brandon Michael Wenger, 19, of Stevens, was involved in a collision with a pickup truck on Route 322 in Earl Township on the evening of Oct. 8, according to the release.  Wenger was taken to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:38 p.m. on Oct. 9, according to the coroner. The cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries and the manner of death was ruled an accident, the coroner said. Br…
Levittown Mom Of Three Identified As Train Operator Killed By Fallen Tree, Family Plans Lawsuit Levittown Mom Of Three Identified As Train Operator Killed By Fallen Tree, Family Plans Lawsuit
Levittown Mom Of Three Identified As Train Operator Killed By Fallen Tree, Family Plans Lawsuit The family of the New Jersey Transit train operator killed by a fallen tree is planning to sue several organizations for negligence, an attorney said. Jessica Haley of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was identified as the person who died in the crash, according to a news release from the Anapol Weiss law firm on Thursday, Oct. 15. The single mother of three boys was 41 years old. Haley was operating a River LINE train heading north from Trenton at around 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 14. The light rail train struck a tree that had fallen on the tracks south of the Roebling station in Mansfield …
Reckless Teens Caused Their Injuries By Crashing Stolen Car, Lehigh DA Says Reckless Teens Caused Their Injuries By Crashing Stolen Car, Lehigh DA Says
Reckless Teens Caused Their Injuries By Crashing Stolen Car, Lehigh DA Says New details have been released in multiple serious Lehigh Valley crashes, including one involving minors, District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan said on Monday, Oct. 14 A teenager driving a stolen Nissan Maxima crashed on American Parkway, just north of the intersection of Bradford Street in Allentown at 2:35 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, the DA detailed. The two teens in the car, ages 14 and 15, were both injured. "The driver, whose name will not be released due to his age, was seriously injured," the DA said. "A passenger inside the car also received minor injuries in the accident." The investiga…
Delco Man Arrested With Drugs, Guns In Months-Long Narc Probe: Police Delco Man Arrested With Drugs, Guns In Months-Long Narc Probe: Police
Delco Man Arrested With Drugs, Guns In Months-Long Narc Probe: Police A Delaware County man was arrested after authorities found drugs, guns, and money in his home following a four-month-long narcotics investigation, police said. Edward Plumley, 48, of Aldan, was previously identified by the Delaware County Narcotics Task Force as a drug trafficker, according to the Marple Township Police Department. Plumley, who had been distributing drugs in and around Marple Township, had his residence searched under warrant by the narcotics task force on Thursday, Oct. 10, police said. In Plumley's residence, officers with the task force found and seized: 1,600 grams o…
Lititz Man Sentenced For Fake Frat House Shooting: DA Lititz Man Sentenced For Fake Frat House Shooting: DA
Lititz Man Sentenced For Fake Frat House Shooting: DA A 20-year-old Lititz man will be spending at least 18 months behind bars for shooting a fake gun during a frat party for Millersville University students, the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office announced on Tuesday, Oct. 15.  Donovan Leigh Cruz, of the 200 block of South Spruce Street, was sentenced by Judge Margaret Miller to serve 18 to 36 months in state prison and two years on probation after pleading guilty to breaking into a Millersville University fraternity home and firing a replica handgun in February, the DA detailed. This was part of a negotiated guilty plea sub…
Performing Arts Director At Lehigh School Secretly Recorded Student: Affidavit Performing Arts Director At Lehigh School Secretly Recorded Student: Affidavit
Performing Arts Director At Lehigh School Secretly Recorded Student: Affidavit The former performing arts director at a Lehigh County high school was charged for secretly recording a student while he was in a changing room, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice.  Francis Anonia, 43, of Allentown, was accused of using his cell phone to secretly record a student changing clothes while he was in the Parkland High School auditorium on Monday, Oct. 14, as detailed by the Allentown police in the affidavit of probable cause.  The student, who is now 21 years old, was 18 when the recordings were made in the auditorium's changing rooms in April 2021, a…
Driver Wanted After Passenger Killed In Crash: Lehigh DA Driver Wanted After Passenger Killed In Crash: Lehigh DA
Driver Wanted After Passenger Killed In Crash: Lehigh DA New details released in several Lehigh Valley crashes include those of a manhunt for a driver who left his passenger to die alone, according to a release by the Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan on Monday, Oct. 14. The most recent fatal crash happened in the 700 block of Central Boulevard in Bethlehem just before 7 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13. Ezequiel Hernandez-Cartagena, 20, of Allentown, has been identified as the passenger killed in the single-vehicle crash, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office, as Daily Voice previously reported. This was a single-vehicle cra…
PA CEO Caused The Crash That Killed Him: DA PA CEO Caused The Crash That Killed Him: DA
PA CEO Caused The Crash That Killed Him: DA New information released for numerous serious Lehigh County crashes included surprising details about the death of a CEO who worked in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Stephen "Steve" La Pierre, 66, of Upper Macungie Township, sideswiped Judith Crossley of Upper Macungie Township's vehicle as she was going east on West Tilghman Street in Allentown, about to turn onto Werley Road, as Daily Voice previously reported. He continued to strike a curb, cross all lanes on Tilghman Street before hitting a lamp pole, and became airborne around 10:37 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5. "An investigation into this cras…
Convicted PA Thief Pleads Guilty to Allentown Murder, Among 3 Other Cases: DA Convicted PA Thief Pleads Guilty to Allentown Murder, Among 3 Other Cases: DA
Convicted PA Thief Pleads Guilty to Allentown Murder, Among 3 Other Cases: DA A 22-year-old Bethlehem man has admitted to murder, and numerous other crimes the Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin P. Holihan announced on Monday, Oct. 14.  Legious Robert Minder Jr., pleaded guilty to Murder in the Third Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, Attempted Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of Firearm Prohibited for the Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, slaying of Najeer Lane, 22, of Allentown, according to the DA. Minder Jr. had been charged along with two other men for Lane's death as well as the attempted murder of Bless Jones during Allentown so…